If you're downtown, Carly's is kind of the staple. The first time you go, its absolutely imperative that you play the "interpret the piece of art hanging behind the bar" game. You'll get it wrong, thats not the point, its just a fun game to play.. But be creative about it and not racist.
2nd, Carly's always has some fun live jazz playing, typically just a single saxophonist, maybe a dual or trio tops, but its always nice to have in the ambiance. The people that go to Carly's are awesome, so the crowd is always fun and never full of any pretentious people. Who ever you meet or just sit around will always be pleasant and that is a huge important quality to me when it comes to places to get a cocktail or dinner.
I for one have ironically never actually eaten here, I always end up just doing cocktails after dinner, which I certainly recommend everyone do at least once - but lets be honest. You'll frequent this place.